Investors often ask us for our opinion on borrowing money to invest in stocks. We think that borrowing to make stock market investments can be a good strategy for some investors under certain circumstances. You’ll benefit most from this strategy by sticking with well-established, dividend-paying stocks, like the ones we recommend in our Canadian Wealth Advisor newsletter.
Here are 3 ways you can benefit from borrowing to invest. (We’ve also compiled a list of 6 ways to tell if your personal circumstances favour this strategy. See below.)
Today’s low interest rates favour borrowing to invest: Today, you can borrow for as little as 3.25% if you use your home as collateral. Over long periods, the total return on a well-diversified portfolio of high-quality stock market investments runs to as much as 10%, or around 7.5% after inflation. So you can expect to earn more than your borrowing cost.
You can use your dividends to pay your investment loan interest: If you borrow to buy well-established, dividend-paying stocks (or mutual funds that invest in these stocks), like those we recommend in our Canadian Wealth Advisor newsletter, these investments will give you regular dividend income and cash flow to pay the interest on your investment loan.
Borrowing to invest can cut your tax bill: Borrowing to invest can be a highly effective tax shelter. That’s because you can deduct 100% of your interest expense against your current income. Plus, the investment income you earn comes with three key tax advantages: you get the dividend tax credit on qualified Canadian stocks and you only pay tax on 50% of your capital gains.
In addition, you are only liable for capital gains when you sell; if you buy high-quality stock market investments, you’ll wind up holding some of them for as long as you live. It’s a great tax-deferral technique. And it’s perfectly legal.
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Borrowing to invest is not without risks. The amount you owe on your investment loan will stay the same, regardless of what the market does, so every dollar your portfolio loses will come out of your equity. In addition, if you take out a variable-rate loan, the interest rate you pay could eventually rise.
That’s why borrowing to invest only makes sense if all 6 of the following apply:
You are in the top income-tax bracket and expect to stay there for a number of years;
Your income is secure;
You have 10 or more years until retirement;
You follow our low-risk investment approach;
You have the kind of temperament to sit through the inevitable market setbacks without losing confidence at a market bottom and selling out to repay your loan;
You have already made your maximum RRSP contributions.
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The Successful Investor Inc. and its affiliate Successful Investor Wealth Management (referred to hereafter as TSI Network) know that you care how information about you is used and shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and sensibly. This notice describes our privacy policy. By visiting websites owned by or associated with TSI Network, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
This privacy policy is applicable to all TSI Network Visitors, Clients, Employees, Suppliers, Web sites, Management, and all other interested parties. Any links to or from our site are not covered by this policy. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of every site that you visit.
The privacy of the site/store visitor is very important to TSI Network, and is respected at all times. The information we receive from customers helps us to personalize and continually improve your online experience at TSI Network.
We do not collect or disclose personal information, except when it is provided to us voluntarily by the site/store visitor with their consent.
We store subscriber and password files containing personal information securely. These files are stored in secure areas that are not accessible to the general public. We are always working to ensure the security of your personal information.
We are continuously in the process of improving our sites and services. If any new features or policies require a change to this current policy, we will post a clear notice of this change on pages of our site where the privacy policy appears. The principle behind this privacy policy is to collect information with your knowledge and consent.
What personal information do we collect?
The information we receive from customers helps us personalize and continually improve your online experience at TSI Network. TSI Network may collect personal information online for all legal purposes, which include, but are not limited to:
Information You Give Us: We receive and store any information you enter on our website or give us in any other way through sign-up forms or ordering forms for publications and services. You can choose not to provide certain information, but then you might not be able to take advantage of many of our services and features. We use the information that you provide for such purposes as responding to your requests, customizing your web browsing experience for you, improving our website, and communicating with you.
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Changes to this Policy
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TSI Network may revise this Policy from time to time.
Legal Notices and Disclaimers
The contents of this web site and our publications are based upon sources of information believed to be reliable, but no warranty or representation, expressed or implied, is given as to their accuracy or completeness. Any opinion reflects the Successful Investor’s judgment at the date of publication and neither the Successful Investor, nor any of its affiliated companies, nor any of their officers, directors or employees, accepts any responsibility in respect of the information or recommendations contained in the publications or on this web site. Moreover, the information or recommendations are subject to change without notice.
Information presented on this web site or contained in our publications is not an offer, nor a solicitation, to buy or sell any securities referred to on the web site or in the publications. The material is general information intended for recipients who understand the risks associated with an investment in any securities referred to in the publications or on this web site. The Successful Investor has made no determination regarding whether an investment, course of action, or associated risks are suitable for the recipient.
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